Magical Adventures
by ganachest
Summary: Follow two young witches by the name of Alex and Sara as they arrive at Hogwarts, meet new friends, and explore the Wizarding World for the very first time!
1. Chapter 1 (Alex

Chapter 1, Year 1

The Hogwarts Express

The large, crimson train known as the Hogwarts Express had just arrived at Platform 9 ¾, and many students were bidding farewell to their parents. Among these students was a small, freckly first year with pale skin and waist-length blonde hair. She was very nervous, as she could hardly believe she just ran straight through a brick podium. She had been told over and over again that the Wizarding World would be very different from the Muggle, or non-magical, world, but she had never expected this.

As she turned to say goodbye to her mother, her aqua blue eyes began to fill with tears. She did not want to leave her mother's side given that she was only eleven years old, but she had always known that her mother and little brother were Muggles and they would not be able to come with her.

"Don't cry, Alex, or else I'll start crying too," said her mother, whose brown eyes were already filling with tears.

"I'll write you letters all the time, mom. I can get Sandy to deliver them," Alex explained as she pointed to her small, brown owl who was in a cage that was placed on top of her luggage trunk.

After many hugs and goodbyes from both her mother and little brother, the Hogwarts Express whistle blew loudly in front of them.

"You better get on the train. I love you and I'll see you during Christmas time!" said Alex's mother.

"'Bye mom, I love you too!" Alex exclaimed as she hurried towards the crimson train. As she walked away, she could hear her brother asking if he will ever be able to go to a magical school too.

The Hogwarts Express was unlike any other train that Alex has ever been on. In fact, when she thought of it, this may be her first ever train ride. There were many compartments with sliding doors and sofas on either side of her.

 _I guess I'll just choose one to sit in_ , Alex thought to herself. After a bit of searching, she was finally able to find an empty compartment. When she had finished putting her luggage on the shelves above the compartment window, she heard the door slide open as Sandy gave a faint hoot _._

"'Ey, can I join ye?" A girl with a thick Scottish accent was standing in the hallway of the train. She was shorter than Alex with brown eyes and glasses. She seemed to have taken her long brown hair and tied it in four braids, which then seemed to have been tied above her head.

"Um, okay, sure," Alex had slightly stuttered while responding, given that she was rather shy around new people. Something about this girl, though, seemed oddly welcoming.

"Thank ye," said the girl as she put her luggage on the shelf. She took her calico cat out of her carrier, sat down, and said "My name's Sara. I'm kinda new to this whole wizardin' thing"

"Oh, my name is Alex. I'm a bit new to the Wizarding World too, but my mum has told me a lot about it. My dad had many stories," Alex said, and she could feel her cheeks flush slightly. She felt as though her subtle British accent was miniscule compared to Sara's thick Scottish accent.

"Your da' is a wizard, then?"

"Yes, I'm half-blood."

"Wha' does tha' mean?"

"A half-blood is someone who has one magical parent, and one non-magical parent. I think non-magical people are called Muggles," explained Alex.

"So then, wha' is it called if ye only have Muggle parents like me?" Sara asked, looking very interested now.

"I believe you're called a Muggle-born," said Alex

"Oh, _tha's_ creative," said Sara sarcastically, and Alex laughed.

"There are also people with an all-magical family, called Purebloods," explained Alex.

Suddenly the compartment door slid open and a boy with brown hair and glasses was asking to join them. Alex gave a neutral shrug and Sara agreed to let him in. After putting away his luggage and introducing himself as Isaac, he sat with Sara on the sofa across from Alex.

"So, anyway, is there anythin' else I need to know abou' this blood thing?" Sara asked, returning to the subject. Alex could not think of anything else, and the boy named Isaac chimed in at that point. He explained that some purebloods (but not all) think of Muggle-borns as filth. They call them "Mudbloods" because it taints the pureblood status. He warned Sara to never let anyone call her a Mudblood.

At this point, a lady with a cart full of sweets approached their compartment and asked if they would like to buy anything.

"We have Treacle Tarts, Cauldron Cakes, some Butterbeer, and may other things," said the cart lady.

"Wha' _are_ all those things?" Sara asked in amazement as they stood and looked at the cart, and Isaac explained what everything was made of and how they tasted.

"Sure, I think I have a bit of wizard money left," Alex said, but Isaac stopped her and bought a couple of sweet treats to share.

"We also have a fresh supply of Cockroach Clusters," said the lady, and she held up what appeared to be a dead cockroaches covered in a candy glaze. Sara screamed at the very sight of the cockroaches and flipped the entire cart over.

"I'm sorry, but I _really_ hate cockroaches!" Sara exclaimed, and Alex was already apologizing and thanking the lady while trying to clean up the mess.

"That is quite understandable," said the lady with a slight laugh, and when she spotted Alex she said "Oh, you don't have to bother with that dear." Then with a flick of her wand, the cart stood right-side-up and all of the sweets were put back in their place.

Alex, Sara, and Isaac finally settled back into their seats after a moment and began to consume the magical treats.

"Ooh, chocolate!" Alex said happily, and she picked up a chocolate frog. As she opened the box, the frog jumped right onto the compartment window and Alex screamed. Isaac explained that they're actually pure chocolate and they come with trading cards of famous wizards, then he asked everyone to stop screaming.

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was filled with stories of both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Isaac gave explanations of the four different houses at Hogwarts, and what type of people they accepted. As the train ride led on, the excitement only grew and Alex was very eager to see more of this strange new world. What new adventures and discoveries awaited her? She would soon find out.


	2. Chapter 1 (Sara's View)

Author's Note: This story will be written from both Alex and Sara's point of view. For each chapter, you will get to read both girl's perspectives. The order will go Alex, Sara, Alex, Sara, and so on. I did not write Sara's stories, my best friend did. But don't worry! She has given me permission to post them here.

There may be some parts of the story that are in Sara's story that are not in Alex's. This is because Alex has bad memory and can be very forgetful, especially when she feels uncomfortable.

Now, let's join Sara as she experiences the Hogwarts Express for the very first time!

Chapter 1, Year 1

Where is my ticket?

Sara frantically patted all of her robes, tore through her cart, and whipped her head around so that the pinwheel of braids tied atop her head spun like half-hearted helicopter blades. This was it. She'd screwed up and all she did was walk through a brick wall. Should she go back through and see if her mother had it? Keep the heid, Sara, keep the heid.

Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder:

"Are you looking for this?" A boy with a horrible haircut but nice glasses asked. His school robes looked really new. He was holding her ticket! Sara gratefully snatched it. "Thenk ye! I was so warried I-"

"You're welcome, you're welcome." He said, quickly turning and pushing his cart to the left.

"Ey! I don' get a name? Nuthin'?" Sara called. He turned around and half-heartedly waved, then hurried along. Must be a busy bloke, she thought.

The huge train, which Sara seemed to have just now become fully aware of, seemed to be glistening with magic, as if it were alive. The whistle blew, encouraging straggling students to board. Children coaxing their reluctant magical animals, parents adjusting their first years' black, unmarked ties, and siblings with colorful emblems on their well worn uniforms snatching pointy black caps off one another's head crowded her sight. It was chaos, but everyone was smiling. Sara sighed. Observing the crowd of wizard families once more, she boarded the Hogwarts Express.

It was crowded, as everyone was looking for a boxcar with their buddies. Flashes of shiny emblems on black uniforms snuck out and around as the bodies of excited children tried to make order. Sara felt that she may get squished by all the older students, and sought out a boxcar eagerly. A very obnoxious girl with bright pink hair was shoving many people, shouting "Has anyone seen my bag? It's new, my mother just bought it! Has anyone-"

Sara quickly wanted to get out of the girls path before she was bombarded with the same question. While passing many windows she spotted a lanky blonde girl alone in a cabin to the left, and for some reason she did not feel it would be rude to ask to sit with her. Trying not to be too loud when sliding open the door, Sara reminded herself not to talk too much.

"Ey, can I sit with ye?"

"Um, okay, sure" the girl replied in a quiet voice.

"Thank ye!" Sara felt like she was getting too excited, but she couldn't contain herself. The quiet girl's brown owl hooted softly as Sara climbed the dark velvet seat to place her luggage overhead.

"Name's Sara, I'm kinda new a' this 'ole wizardin' thing," she grunted while attempting to swing the heavy trunk up.

"Oh, my name is Alex. I'm a bit new to the Wizarding World too, but my mum has told me a lot about it. My dad had many stories," Alex said, looking a bit flustered. Sara wondered if she conversed often.

"Your da' is a wizard, then?"

"Yes, I'm half-blood."

"Wha' does tha' mean?"

"A half-blood is someone who has one magical parent, and one non-magical parent. I think non-magical people are called Muggles," explained Alex.

"So then, wha' is it called if ye only have Muggle parents like me?" Sara asked, squinting a little in anticipation.

"I believe you're called a Muggle-born," Alex responded, titling her head slightly in thought.

"Oh, tha's creative," Sara joked, to which Alex laughed a little.

"There are also people with an all-magical families, called Purebloods," Alex continued.

During this pleasant conversation, Sara had been eyeing out the window of their compartment to make sure that the obnoxious bag-seeker would not bother to open and ask. But suddenly, she'd spotted the boy who had found her ticket. He was hurrying again, flicking his head back and forth between windows, and he spotted Sara and Alex's compartment. He then flung open the door, making Alex jump a little.

"Could I please join you?" he said, looking over his shoulder. Alex shrugged.

"Well o' course," Sara beamed, and slid over to make room for him.

Quickly, he put away his belongings with greater ease than Sara had.

"Yer name now, if ye please?" Sara inquired.

"Isaac," he replied politely, turning to Alex as well. He was answered with a proper "Sara," and "I'm Alex."

"So, anyway, is there anythin' else I need to know abou' this blood thing?" Sara asked, returning to the subject. "Ye were explainin bloo' types? What abou' A, B, an' O?"

Isaac began to explain more blood related things to Sara, but as he said something about not letting others call her mud-pie, a woman with a cart rolled up to the door.

"We have Treacle Tarts, Cauldron Cakes, some Butterbeer, and many other things," the lady announced brightly as she slid the door open.

"Wha' are all those things? Munchies?" Sara inquired, to which Isaac began to describe the colorful treats. He seemed to have now taken the position of informer from Alex. Although she was not quite sure, Sara could have sworn a look of newfound passion grow on Alex's face, her pale eyes locked and dilated on the candy cart. She looked like she had mouthed the word "chocolate", but then seemed to regain her composure,

"Sure, I think I have a bit of wizard money left," Alex said, but Isaac sheepishly pulled out his own sack of coins.

"My mum always gives me an excessive amount," he mumbled while purchasing shareable snacks.

"We also have a fresh supply of Cockroach Clusters," said the nice cart lady, whom Sara was beginning to perceive as not so nice. as she lifted a translucent sack of the detestable creatures that were so sacrilegiously adorned in a coat of sugar, Sara did what only seemed natural in such a horrific situation. She promptly screamed and flipped the cart off its wheels with one hand, sending countless creature snacks flying and scaring the wits out of Isaac and Alex's owl.

"I'm migh'y sorey, bu' I really hae' them creatures," Sara apologized, half laughing, just as quickly as she had turned on the cart.

Alex had sat down quickly and stared, but seemed to distantly agree with Sara's choice. She then began to almost instinctively pick up the scattered candy, to which the calm cart lady thanked her but promptly used her own wand to right the mess herself. "It's alright sweetie," she chuckled while turning to leave their compartment. "Have a nice trip!"

The sweets Isaac had purchased now lay on the empty space between Alex's owl and herself. "Chocolate!" she shamelessly exclaimed, and picked up a hexagon shaped tin that read "chocolate frog". It was now her turn to scream, for the frog leaped from the tin the moment she freed it and onto the window sill. Isaac, who was no longer shocked but found their reactions a bit humorous, quickly caught the leaping treat and returned it to the tin.

"It isn't actually alive, it's just enchanted." he said. He did a lot of explaining. "Please don't scream anymore though, we could-"

Of course, at that moment a very unpleasant scream resounded in the hall of the compartments, and as Sara noticed the pink hair, she cringed. Isaac was in a discussion about houses and flats and ravens with Alex she assumed, although she had no idea why. Her goal at this moment was to close their compartment curtain as inconspicuously as possible-and that failed misreably.

"What are you doing?" Alex questioned as she released the curtain. And as the compartment door forcefully slid open, Isaac's expression of horror matched Sara's at the sight of the pink hair.

"Have any of you seen my-!"

"No, I'm afraid we haven't" Isaac's voice sounded clipped, but the girl seemed to not be feeling it.

"I'm sorry, but that bag is probably the most expensive thing-"

"An' how unwise to sen' tha' wi' an eleven-yea' ol'", Sara commented while trying to usher the girl out the door, who was still rambling.

"It says Caty on the side, and if you find it please-"

"We will," Sara and Isaac promised in unison. Alex looked perfectly uncomfortable, and Sara was sure Caty made her all the more so by saying "My, aren't you quiet!"

Maybe she actually thinks she's being friendly, Sara thought. Caty was surprisingly hard to urge out the door.

"Can I stay in here?" she asked.

"'Fraid not, there's no room," Isaac said while subtly spreading the treat trash over Alex's seat cushion.

"Nice meetin' ye, an' thank ye fer yer time," Sara said, forcing the compartment closed.

She then huffed and plopped in the seat next to Alex, shoving trash out of the way.

"That girl was very abrasive," Alex commented.

"Yes, she certainly was," Isaac agreed as he peered out the window. Sara swung her feet to sit criss-cross, and kicked something under the seat in the process. Leaning over to inspect, she noted that it was painfully pink and had sparkly kitten paws that seemed to be moving, probably by magic. Alex and Isaac turned to look as well.

"Don't tell me that's…" Alex sighed as Sara rose from sitting and crouched to pull it out. In a blinding lime green, Caty was etched across the handle.

"Oh dear," Sara breathed, hefting it up. "Shoul' we return it t'her now?" she asked, glancing at her two compartment mates.

"There's only an hour or more of this trip left," Isaac said as he got his trunk down from the overhead luggage carrier. "Let's just wait until then." he smiled.

"We're just gonna let her freak out for another hour?" Alex asked.

"Yes, exactly," he responded, "She better not get the same house as me…" he continued.

"Houses? Wha?" Sara said, suddenly interested. Isaac and Alex took turns explaining again; they were not talking about actual houses earlier, but the magical sorting process they would experience when they arrived at Hogwarts.

"My dad says that the Sorting Hat sticks it's thread in your ears to connect with your brain and suck your information out," Isaac joked, to which Alex turned paler so that her freckles stood out."He's jus'bein'a dunderhead," Sara laughed. And as the worry of the pink bag was kicked back under the seat, the three first year wizards began to share stories about the Wizard and Muggle world alike; the last hour of that train ride was the most pleasant Sara has remembered in all her train experiences, discounting the fact that she was on her way to a magical castle. And because of that newfound ease on the Hogwarts Express, any of the jittery apprehension that may have been hindering her outlook on her new life fled. For if there was one thing she was sure of, as the train strained to a stop, life would never be the same again.


	3. Chapter 2 (Alex's View)

Chapter 2, Year 1

The House with a Badger

Alex, Sara, and Isaac were riding the Hogwarts Express until nightfall. Alex wondered if they would ever arrive at their destination. Would it take more than one day to get to Hogwarts?

At that moment, the train started to slow down and came to a halt: They were finally at the fantastic wizarding school that Alex had heard so many stories about! As she gazed out of the compartment window into the darkness she could see the faint outline of a huge, grand castle with many towers and lit windows. She had never been told that Hogwarts was a castle…

Suddenly Sara leaped from her seat and exclaimed, "Woah! Is tha' 'Ogwarts?! It's a 'UGE princess castle!"

"It's not for _princesses._ It's for witches and wizards, I said that before," said Isaac, sounding slightly exasperated as he grabbed his luggage from the shelf overhead.

"Well, Imma be singin' Disney songs anyway," Sara said, and Alex couldn't help but smile at that.

As the students unloaded from the crimson train, the first years were told to go towards the giant lake while the older students rode towards the castle in carriages that seemed to be pulled by absolutely nothing. Were there invisible horses at Hogwarts?

"Firs' years over 'ere!"

A man nearly the size of a giant was waving an enormous hand while standing by the lake and calling over first year students. Sara and Isaac hurried over to the group of first years and Alex quickly followed. The giant, hairy man was explaining that first years will be traveling across the lake in boats.

Alex boarded the boat with Sara and Isaac, holding on very tight to Sandy's cage. She did not want to lose any of her school supplies, especially her beloved brown owl. As the boat glided across the black water, Alex had a sudden desire to stick her hand in the water but she felt far too anxious to do so.

As they entered the grand castle, a tall woman with glasses and her hair in a tight bun was telling the first years to follow her. She led them into a separate room and told everyone to line up in a single-file line. At this point, Alex was separated from Sara and Isaac because the single-file line was supposed to be in alphabetical order.

She wondered what exactly was going to happen next, and why all of the first years were in this separate room rather than the big, shimmering dining hall they had passed on their way here. She felt scared. Her mother had never told her about this part, and how she was miles away from home. From a distance, Alex could hear Sara asking all of these same questions.

Suddenly, the door leading into the dining hall opened. The line began to move forward and suddenly the first-years were standing in front of all of the older students. This made Alex even more nervous. She was always afraid of being in front of large crowds. She wanted this to end. She wanted to know what was going on.

At that moment, the tall bespectacled lady brought out a small stool and an old, worn-out witch hat. It had many stitches and patches, and Alex wondered why it was now sitting on a stool in front of everyone. Then a large hole in the hat opened and it began to emit noise. It was not only speaking, but it was singing!

The song told about the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindors, who are brave and daring; Hufflepuffs, who are patient and loyal; Ravenclaws, who are wise and intelligent; and Slytherins, who are cunning and ambitious.

Alex, personally, thought the ones that sounded best were the puffle ones. Whatever she did, however, she did not want to end up in the snake house like her father. Her mother always said that the snake house people were not bad, but advised Alex to be cautious around them.

First years were already being called to the stool and sorted into various houses. Alex watched from the back of the line as the hat was placed upon student's heads.

"Derico, Justin."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

An Asian boy who seemed incredibly shy hurried over to the table covered in the colors garnet and gold.

"Ethrite, Joshua."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

A short boy with dirty blonde hair hurried over to the table covered in the colors yellow and black.

"Hambinite, Morganne."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Khane, Star."

"RAVENCLAW!"

A short girl with bushy black hair hurried over to the table covered in the colors blue and bronze. Then the girl on the train who was screaming about her bag was called up to the hat. Alex remembered how unconfortable she felt around her. _Please don't put me in the same house as her_ , thought Alex, _I hope that doesn't sound mean…_

The girl was then sorted into Ravenclaw, and Alex couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the girl named Star.

After a few more names were called, it was finally Sara's turn to go up and sit on the stool. Alex assumed she was talking with the hat about which house she would prefer because she could see Sara pointing slightly at the Ravenclaw table.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. It took Sara a few moments to overcome her disappointment, but eventually she stood up and walked happily over to the garnet and gold table. After a few more students, Isaac was called to the stool and sorted into Gryffindor as well.

"Hey, are you okay? You seem nervous." The tan boy with glasses who stood directly in front of Alex seemed to notice her slight trembling. Alex flushed and nodded vigorously for she could not find her voice at that moment. "Oh, well there's no need to be nervous. I know it's the first day, but Hogwarts eventually becomes a sort of second home to people."

"Worle, Reed."

The boy gave Alex a friendly smile as he walked toward the stool.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Alex could not believe her ears. Slytherin? The boy had seemed so nice, how was that possible? Maybe Slytherins were not as bad as she had once thought.

"Wrial, Alexandria."

It was now Alex's turn to be sorted into a house. She felt incredibly nervous as she walked toward the stool, her arms and legs were shaking. As she sat down, Sara waved vigorously to her from the Gryffindor table. This made Alex calm down a bit as the hat was placed upon her head.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the sorting hat without any hesitation.

Alex hurried quickly towards the table of yellow and black. She felt relieved to be sitting down and was very happy with being put into Hufflepuff. Sara was congratulating her from across the hall. The Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables were right across from each other.

After Alex thanked and congratulated her, she turned around to see her fellow Hufflepuffs. They were all very kind and gave her a warm welcoming.

"Hi," said a voice to her left. "My name is Josh. When I saw you standing up there you looked really scared. I wanted to make sure you're okay,"

Alex realized this was the dirty-blonde-haired boy who was first sorted into Hufflepuff. As Alex nodded, she realized he had green eyes. She was always rather fond of green eyes.

"I'm just nervous. I-I'm not used to this stuff yet," Alex explained in a small voice.

"Are you a muggle-born?" asked Josh, tilting his head slightly.

"No, I'm a half-blood. I live with my Muggle mom though,"

"Oh, well if you ever need any help then feel free to ask. Purebloods like me know all about these kinds of things," Josh winked, and Alex gave a slight chuckle.

The dining hall, or Great Hall as she heard the older students calling it, fell silent at that moment. The lady with glasses and a tight bun whom Alex met earlier had stood up and begun to speak. She gave a speech about having an amazing year and how she has arranged the schedules to give more diversity between houses.

After she finished her speech and sat down, the plates in front the students began to fill with various foods, such as chicken and roasted sweet potato, and their goblets filled with many drink options, such as butterbeer and apple juice. Just as Alex finished her dinner, thinking she could not fit any more food in her stomach, various desserts and pastries filled the plates once again. She could not resist trying one or two wizarding deserts. Or perhaps seven.

After the amazing meal, it was time for the students to head to their dormitories for bed. Students stood up from their seats and began to head towards the doors of the Great Hall. Alex had no idea where to go, and quickly joined Sara in fear of getting lost.

"Do ya kno' where we're suppose' to goh?" Sara asked, and Alex shook her head. Then she heard an older student call for the Hufflepuffs and another for the Gryffindors.

"Follow me, I'm a Prefect!" said the older students simultaneously. Alex then joined the Perfect student of Hufflepuff and Sara joined the Perfect student of Gryffindor.

As they exited the Great Hall, the Gryffindors began to head towards the staircase that went upwards and the Hufflepuffs went through a door with a staircase that led downwards. Sara told Alex to be careful, Alex saying it in return, then began to mumble about the amount of stairs.

As the group of Hufflepuffs approached a stack of barrels, the Perfect student was showing the first years how to get into the common room. Alex had noticed on the way that the common room is very close to the Hogwarts kitchen, and this pleased her.

After choosing the correct barrel, she crawled through a tunnel into the common room. It had many honey-colored wooden tables and chairs, and small green cushions near the fireplace. It was filled with various types of plants that Alex hardly recognized. She overheard someone saying that Professor Sprout did a wonderful job with decorating this year.

One of the Perfects of Hufflepuff showed her where her dormitory will be for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. She was led to a circular wooden door nearest the fireplace, and as she opened it she could see the circular room with wooden bedsteads covered in patchwork quilts.

As Alex began to unpack her trunk, which had already been placed next to her bedstead, another girl entered the room. This girl seemed to be older than her and she had curly dirty-blonde hair. It wasn't until she approached her bedstead that she noticed Alex was also in the room.

"Oh! Hi…are you new?" she asked.

"Y-yes," Alex said in a nervous voice, her face now starting to turn pink.

"Oh, well hi, I'm Michayla. I guess I'll be sharing a dormitory with you."

"Hi," Alex said, hoping her smile came off as sincere.

Later, after Alex had crawled into bed, she was laying on her side thinking about all that had happened today. She gripped her pillow rather tight. It was the one she had packed with her. Although she felt a little homesick, thinking about Hogwarts made her feel better. She would write her mother often, and she would have Sara and they boy named Josh to keep her company. As she drifted off to sleep, she remembered what the Slytherin boy had told her earlier: _Hogwarts eventually becomes a sort of second home to people._

At that point, she almost knew that Hogwarts would always be here to welcome her home.


End file.
